<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Benchwarmer by mypricelessjade</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27335305">Benchwarmer</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/mypricelessjade/pseuds/mypricelessjade'>mypricelessjade</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Last of Us (Video Games)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - College/University, F/F, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Slow Burn, Volleyball</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 23:46:44</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>11,000</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27335305</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/mypricelessjade/pseuds/mypricelessjade</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Ellie and Jesse are best friends since high school. They have the same tastes in videogames, music and – it turns out – even girls. But nothing overly serious to impair their friendship.<br/>At least since Ellie is sure the secret of relationships is patience. She will sit and wait for her turn.</p>
<p>Like a benchwarmer.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Dina &amp; Ellie (The Last of Us), Dina/Ellie (The Last of Us), Dina/Jesse (The Last of Us), Ellie &amp; Jesse (The Last of Us), Ellie &amp; Joel (The Last of Us)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>39</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>100</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Peter Parker’s Found His Gwen Stacy</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hi everyone!<br/>I’m an avid Ao3 reader and it’s the first time I write something with the intention to publish it here. In my country we have “our” fan fiction site, but the Video Games section isn’t as animated as here. I also thought it would be fun to write in English for a change. Fun for me and maybe cringe for you… I apologise in advance.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The Geology library was the most peaceful place on a Friday afternoon. It had two floors and the biggest windows of the entire campus, so you could stare outside for a daydreaming pause from study every now and then. Ellie loved to take a seat on the upper floor – that was actually a mezzanine – so she could feel like on a balcony. She was so excited with the incoming shortening of the days that would reward her with some nice sunsets from her favourite studying spot.</p>
<p>Her desk was empty and ready to be covered with her Physics notes. Once she was satisfied with her setting, Ellie took her phone and put it on airplane mode so she wouldn’t have to worry about any external distraction.</p>
<p>The library was nearly as empty as a desert due to the upcoming weekend. Only a few students where there, studying and reading, each of them with an entire desk at their disposal. Which was a chimera during the weekdays.</p>
<p>Ellie lived in town and every time she came back home at the end of the day, she wanted it to be the very end of her academic day. Besides, she knew that once at home she would be tempted to pursue her hobbies more than anything else.</p>
<p>Not even an hour had passed when a girl peered at the other end of the desk. She was holding her phone between her head and her shoulder and she looked kind of exasperated. Her arms were hugging a stock of books and Ellie found herself trying and read what those books were about.</p>
<p>It took Ellie a couple of seconds to realize that the girl was trying to silently communicate something through her lips that looked like ‘<em>Can I sit here?</em>’.</p>
<p>Ellie nodded and returned to her tasks.</p>
<p>“Yes… yeah… <em>Talia</em>!”</p>
<p>Ellie shoot her head up a little too fast and let her face be a little too annoyed at the girl in front of her.</p>
<p>Mortified, the girl covered her mouth and the microphone of her phone with a hand “Let me finish,” she whispered trying to avoid Ellie’s death stare. “We’re going on a date but nothing too serious-”</p>
<p>Ellie shook her head and returned focused on her Physics essay. That place was a damn library, why in the hell this girl decided to use it like a tearoom.</p>
<p>
  <em>Not even a tearoom protocol would accept this kind of tones…</em>
</p>
<p>She wasn’t usually this strict and law-abiding – Ellie had actually been the first student in her Electronics class to be scolded by Mr Preston – but she felt helpless with that last task she needed to complete to finally call herself out and free for the weekend.</p>
<p>“Oh Lord… bye.” The girl finally said those last words behind her hand and through her teeth, tossing the phone in her backpack. She looked at Ellie and she was clearly hesitating. “I’m sorry, that was… inappropriate”</p>
<p>It took a couple of blinks for Ellie to understand that the girl was actually talking to her. And she was apologising. With a cute smile.</p>
<p>“No, don’t worry. I didn’t really want to react like that-”</p>
<p>“Nah, it’s ok, it’s a library. Also- it’s huge and I still have decided to pick up that call and sit right in front of you.”</p>
<p>“Yeah… not many others to annoy today.”</p>
<p>“I’m really sorry.”</p>
<p>Ellie shook her head smiling kindly, hoping the girl would understand that she didn’t <em>really</em> annoyed her and passed a point of no return.</p>
<p>The two continued studying for the rest of the evening. Ellie could feel herself getting tired and distracted by the minute. Maybe she should have left the essay incomplete until the next day. Maybe she should have enjoyed her Friday night and postponed that kind of stress she was plunging herself into.</p>
<p>“You’re the girl who laughed while Eugene was talking about the Kirchhoff's laws.”</p>
<p>Ellie rose her head and found a pair of big brown eyes, intently looking at her. The girl had an amused smirk printed on her face and a glimpse in her eye that looked like a welcomed realization.</p>
<p>“Eugene?”</p>
<p>“Yeah, professor Preston or whatever.”</p>
<p>
  <em>So there are people around campus who remember of me laughing like an idiot during the first week of classes. Superb.</em>
</p>
<p>“Do you usually refer to your professors by first name?”</p>
<p>“Well, technically he’s not my professor. I just like his lessons”, she stated as if it was the most common thing to do: go to classes that you were not supposed to attend.  “He’s a family friend and I love electronics.”</p>
<p>Ellie did an impressed eyebrow-raise at the girl’s statement. “Wow,” she said trying not to seem too amazed with the girl’s academic commitment. She asked herself if she would ever do something similar.</p>
<p>
  <em>I’m pretty sure I’ll pass.</em>
</p>
<p> “That happened to be me, yes,” she finally answered. “It’s been embarrassing but at the same time… freeing.”</p>
<p>“I can only imagine. Maybe I’ll try someday,” the girl said with a small laugh while she was putting away her books and notebooks.</p>
<p>“You were doing great just a couple of hours ago.”</p>
<p>It was brave of Ellie assuming that the girl was prone to that kind of remarks, but she couldn’t help herself and she had the sensation that she was talking with someone smart and witty.</p>
<p>So she went for it – and she kind of held her breath trying to avoid the girl’s eye by looking at her book.</p>
<p>To her relief, that girl let out a light laugh and whispered to herself ‘funny’ while she was going around the desk before gently leaning her body towards Ellie. She lingered with a curious look, scanning the books under Ellie’s elbows before standing straight and meeting her eyes. With a playful wink, she said: “Good luck with my mother’s task,” and left the library.</p>
<p>“Oh brother.”</p>
<p> </p><hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>It was 7 pm and Ellie was fast pacing across the campus and towards the parking lot. In spite of her studying duties, she decided to go back home and relax. Maybe stalk a little around Mrs Adler’s daughter.</p>
<p>
  <em>I should’ve asked her name. Who knows if Mrs Adler has Facebook.</em>
</p>
<p>“Yo, Ellie!” A voice took her mind from all of the silly thoughts she was so ready to formulate that evening.</p>
<p>She turned around to see Jesse, her neighbour and best friend. He was in his car with an arm hanging out of the window.</p>
<p>“Jesse! Thought you were already home.”</p>
<p>“No, I had something to do,” he answered with an evasive shrug, giving Ellie a cute smile.</p>
<p><em>What is this dumbfuck smile about now? </em>“Well… are you gonna tell me what, or should we pretend you are Peter Parker or something?”</p>
<p>“You know, Ellie? If you would check your phone every once a while, you would know.”</p>
<p>“Ha, shit… left the airplane mode on,” she groaned while picking her backpack and crouching in order to find her phone in its depths. “That must be some good shit if it keeps you this mysterious with your goddamn best friend.”</p>
<p>“Best friends exempt the airplane mode from their friends’ numbers ,” he complained trying to lean out enough to give her a push. Ellie reflexes were ahead of that.</p>
<p>“There is no such thing…” she murmured scrolling through the chats. When Jesse’s came out, she couldn’t help but widen her eyes.  “No way.”</p>
<p>“I know right? Peter Parker’s found his Gwen Stacy.”</p>
<p>“Poor girl,” she scoffed. “How could you manage to do that? We literally started college like… two months ago. How could you meet someone <em>and</em> have a date already.”</p>
<p>“You should spend less time in the library and a little more time around campus, where you can actually talk to people,” he said metter-of-factly pinching Ellie’s cheek like as she was a kid.</p>
<p>“Yeah, yeah, that’s some life-altering tip, <em>grandpa</em>. Thank you.”</p>
<p>“Well, my life has been altered!”</p>
<p>Jesse’s eyes went all Disney-princess-dreamy, his mind was clearly wondering.</p>
<p>She sighed loudly. “How hot is this girl?”</p>
<p>“The hottest.”</p>
<p>A devious smirk came to life on Ellie’s lips while she said: “Cannot wait to see her.”</p>
<p>“You are not seeing her with that lesbian attitude of yours, ok?”</p>
<p>“Dunno what you’re talking about…”</p>
<p>“Talking about you stealing Cat under my nose,” he grumbled with a pout. “Thought you weren’t into Asians…”</p>
<p>“I didn’t say that! I said I wasn’t into you,” she clarified flicking his arm. “It turned out that neither was Cat.”</p>
<p>“Yeah, sure. You just have to know that you’re not seeing Dina before our date.”</p>
<p>“Uh, <em>Dina</em>… that’s something.” She bit her lip and suggestively raised her scarred eyebrow just to annoy him.</p>
<p>“Stop it!”</p>
<p>Ellie couldn’t help but laugh at the discomfort she was pressing him into. “When are you going out together?”</p>
<p>“Tomorrow night,” he sighed. “I demand your presence before I go, so you can help me choose the perfect outfit. She’s very smart, doesn’t use emojis. So I guess I’ll need a casual-chic look, you know?”</p>
<p>“No way… your set of emoji boxers is – from now on – <em>forbidden</em>.” Her fake seriousness made Jesse roll his eyes. “Outrageous.”</p>
<p>At that, he started the engine. “I’m not talking to you anymore. Goodbye!”</p>
<p>“Drive safe!”</p>
<p>Ellie couldn’t actually see it, but is seemed like Jesse was some kind of hyper charismatic boy in the eyes of the girls. He had his share of flings during high school and she remembered how boring was to attend to the unexciting banter between Jesse and those random girls he always had the time to find. When they met Cat, they were all going through their third year of high school. Cat’s parents moved to United States when she was a little nine-year-old girl, and in the years they built a successful gastronomic business around their Chinese restaurant. She was a couple of years older than Jesse and Ellie – something that seemed to appeal Jesse even more. He clearly came out from his mother and into the world without a gaydar, and Ellie tried to stop the guy from falling for the girl but he was just <em>so</em> stubborn:</p>
<p>
  <em>“Dude, look at her haircut.”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Yeah… it’s cute.”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“She’s got so many flannels she must be a lumberjack”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Maybe she is.”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“That’s definitely a rainbow flag on a shopper bag, how can you not see it?”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Even my mother has one. It’s from Flying Tiger.”</em>
</p>
<p>So he found indispensable bringing back a cadeau from his family trip to China, and that happened to be a bag of BBQ crickets.</p>
<p>
  <em>“I’m so gonna give her these as a sign of my crush on her.”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Crickets. How charming of you.”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“I know, right?”</em>
</p>
<p>It turned out that those crickets triggered Cat’s past trauma of living in a poor village that was razed to the ground in order to give way to a giant, new, technological city.</p>
<p>Ellie’s attempts to bring the girl’s mind back to a state of peace were rewarded with a clumsy kiss that left both Jesse and Ellie a little dumbfound.</p>
<p>Recovered from the stupor, Jesse gave Ellie a look of disappointment and nearly ran away. Despite her concern, she just shrugged and turned her attention back to Cat’s lips.</p>
<p>Long before the end of the party the two were literally kicked out of the house because that rocket scientist of Jesse decided to relieve himself from the sentimental frustration by empting the crickets’ bag in the peanuts’ bowl.</p>
<p>And that was the one time Ellie was right to think Jesse’s charm wasn’t going to work.</p>
<p> </p><hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>Ellie was spinning on Jesse’s  gaming chair while his friend was changing his clothes for what seemed like the hundredth time.</p>
<p>He peeped out from the endearing folding screen he prepared in his room. “What about this? I call it my Californian Way To Go.”</p>
<p>“That would be terrific… if you were taking her to Santa Monica.”</p>
<p>“Yeah… that would be great…” he said, already daydreaming.</p>
<p>“Sure but let’s stay focused on Jackson, shall we? A little Christian town.”</p>
<p>“I’m not going to take out my nun’s cosplay.”</p>
<p>“Bummer,” she snorted. It wasn’t easy trying to decipher a girl’s taste when the girl in question was a blank face with a stick figure body since Jesse couldn’t even share a single picture with her, how jealous he was.</p>
<p>
  <em>“It’s not jealousy, I’m just being superstitious. If the date goes well, I’ll tell you who she is.”</em>
</p>
<p> <em>Yeah, whatever. I just wanna know if she’s hot as he’s bragging around. </em>“You said she’s smart and mature, maybe you should show her your mature side.”</p>
<p>“Yes, but <em>how</em>?”</p>
<p>“Maybe by wearing khaki pants and a sky blue shirt?” she suggested.</p>
<p>“That’s showing my inner unemployed dad.”</p>
<p>“God, you’re right.”</p>
<p>Jesse went back behind the folding screen. After a couple of rustling sounds, she could hear a loud groan.</p>
<p>“Fuck this. We’re only eighteen, how mature can she be?”</p>
<p><em>Dunno bro, you said that. </em>But she didn’t want to pry with this story of the mysterious girl, so she just shrugged and said: “Right… let’s just be young and cool.”</p>
<p>“Yes! I’m gonna show off my basketball attire.”</p>
<p>“No!”</p>
<p> </p><hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>Mrs Adler didn’t have Facebook.</p>
<p>
  <em>Fuck.</em>
</p>
<p>She suddenly felt the urge to know who the girl of the library was.</p>
<p>
  <em>I’m gonna lose Jesse soon, I need new friends on campus. </em>
</p>
<p>That was a galactic excuse.</p>
<p>
  <em>Ok, ok. I just need her to pass me the solution of her mother’s task.</em>
</p>
<p>The truth was that she found her clever and pretty and she could use some new friends outside of Jesse – despite the fact that he was going to be less available if his date was going well.</p>
<p>She was really tempted to go and find that Dina girl. She just wanted to gather enough information in order to form a generic opinion. Maybe to see if she was someone she wanted around her best friend.</p>
<p>But she decided not to go against Jesse’s will for the sake of his superstitious soul.</p>
<p>
  <em>Superstitious bullshit.</em>
</p>
<p>She jumped off bed with a swift move and tossed her phone on it. She needed something to divert her mind from those girls.</p>
<p>Girls that she didn’t even know.</p>
<p>She opened her bedroom door and immediately she was invested with the gentle sound of the piano downstairs. She smiled and reached for the sound.</p>
<p>“Hey, kiddo.”</p>
<p>Joel was sitting on the piano stool, his back facing her and his posture stiff. He was recovering from an injure that brought him under the knife, but he was already making progress. His brother, Tommy, asked his help in the farm he owned, placed not too far away from the centre of Jackson. Joel fell from a ladder while he was tiding some cables and fell onto an iron rod. It was a miracle he didn’t involve his organs in any major damage.</p>
<p>“Hey, old man,” she greeted.</p>
<p>He puffed out a strangled laugh and continued to move his large hands on the keys.</p>
<p>“What are you playing?” she asked curiously, carefully sitting near Joel.</p>
<p>“Just plunking,” Joel muttered, giving her a tired smile. “Tomorrow morning the tuner is coming over. Very early. I should get some rest but I feel restless.”</p>
<p>Ellie nodded at his words and chuckled to herself. “Same.”</p>
<p>The music suddenly stopped and Joel turned to see Ellie in the face, wincing a little due to his injured side. “What happened?” he asked.</p>
<p>“Jesse’s on a date tonight.”</p>
<p>Joel hummed, trying to meet the eyes of the girl who was trying not to look directly at him with all her might. “Are you jealous?”</p>
<p>“Joel…” Ellie groaned, shifting uncomfortably on the stool.</p>
<p>“I know, I know. It’s just that I didn’t want to say <em>envious</em>… it doesn’t suit you,” he reached for her shoulder with a hand and squeezed it lightly. “Even if I personally think you would be a better date, but maybe I’m biased.”</p>
<p>“No, it’s not that. I’m not looking for dates, to be honest. I would like to have friends to hang out with, though. You know, while on campus.”</p>
<p>“If you’re afraid of him disappearing, I bet my money he wouldn’t. I can see him literally inviting you to hang out with his girlfriend.”</p>
<p>She shivered. “I was just planning on applying for a third-wheel role.”</p>
<p>“Ellie, it’s just two months. Don’t rush your mind, things happen when you least expect them.”</p>
<p>Ellie rolled her eyes theatrically. “Thanks for this old ass wisdom of yours.”</p>
<p>“You’re welcome.”</p>
<p>Joel resumed his <em>plunking</em>, that casually seemed like a neatly studied song. She followed the rhythm of the jingle with her head. It was a sweet sound, not too pretentious but not even trivial.</p>
<p>After a couple of chords progression, Ellie decided to join Joel, playing on the higher keys. He smiled fondly when she started playing and they continued extemporizing this brand new music until Joel broke the spell.</p>
<p>“I need you to do me a favour, kiddo…”</p>
<p>“Shoot.”</p>
<p>He took a little pile of papers that was laid on the upright piano and handed it to Ellie.</p>
<p>“Could you spread these fliers on campus? I want to resume giving piano and guitar lessons.”</p>
<p>Ellie studied the fliers in her hands, shuffling and rotating them in order to give them a look in their entirety. They were just white papers with a few lines printed on them in a stern Times New Roman.</p>
<p>“They’re pretty blank,” she observed and then added, with an hopeful tone: “Can I customize them a little?”</p>
<p>Joel looked right through her, narrowing his eyes and nodding slowly. “Since you don’t plan on doing anything vulgar, yes. Go on.”</p>
<p>She smiled brightly and stood up from the stool, pirouetting and heading to the stairs. “You’ll be surprised!”</p>
<p>The time Ellie stepped inside her room, she already had a thousand of ideas to garnish those posters. She was so happy with Joel’s will to return giving music lessons. He was an excellent teacher and he was the most patient when it came to music. Ellie owed all her passion and music skills to him.</p>
<p>She checked her phone before diving in her art project and found a message from Jesse.</p>
<p>
  <em>[11:02 pm] Jesse</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Not only she’s hot she’s also </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>smart and has a sense of </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>humour jeez she’s so cool</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>[11:27 pm] Ellie</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>I don’t care I want to</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>know about the kiss</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>[11:35 pm] Jesse</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>No kiss I’m too much </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>of a gentleman</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>[11:35 pm] Ellie</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>you meant too much</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>of a: chickenshit</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>[11:36 pm] Jesse</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Goodnight asshole </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>see you tomorrow</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em> [11:38 pm] Ellie</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>night romeo</em>
</p>
<p>She grinned and lingered on Jesse’s chat for a little while.</p>
<p>
  <em>Well I guess there’s no more magic spell on the identity of this girl.</em>
</p>
<p>She quickly went on Jesse’s profile page of Facebook and typed <em>Dina </em>in the research bar of his friends section.</p>
<p>
  <em>Dina Caplan. Let’s see how hot you are.</em>
</p>
<p>“Are you fucking kidding me?”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Volleyball Team Force</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Jesse’s already had a date while Ellie isn’t even sure she can say she has friends in college outside of Jesse.<br/>She knows she wants to change that, she just doesn’t know how.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Ellie stormed out the house, jumping all four patio’s steps and cursing herself loudly. She was late again that week. And it was only Tuesday.</p>
<p>
  <em>Yesterday was Jesse’s fault.</em>
</p>
<p>Because he kept her in his house late, in order to mention and analyse every second of his date with Dina.</p>
<p>
  <em>“She ordered a beer with her pizza.”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Jesus, Jesse… you’re useless. Cut it out!”</em>
</p>
<p>And today it was definitely her fault, because she’d spent all night playing videogames instead of sleeping.</p>
<p>
  <em>Stupid… nerd.</em>
</p>
<p>That morning’s air was the kind of chill that her jeans jacket couldn’t sooth, but she surely wasn’t going to turnabout. She jumped in her car thinking that her first lesson was Electronics with Mr Preston. She had already shown him her worst side, she didn’t need to strike him as one sleepy head who joined class in medias res.</p>
<p>Once halfway on her route, Ellie sighed in relief when she noticed that she was going to be five minutes late, worst case scenario.</p>
<p>Nevertheless she ran through the parking lot after leaving her car the nearest to the buildings. Her lungs were <em>screaming</em>.</p>
<p>Electronics lessons took place in the Science building that was right in the centre of the campus. It was equipped with laboratories and a huge congress hall that every month hosted important seminaries.</p>
<p>She wondered if Dina was so keen on Science that she sneaked into those functions too.</p>
<p>Ellie immediately knit her eyebrows at that thought.</p>
<p>When she entered the main hallway, she spotted the messy queue of her colleagues in front of the tall doors of her classroom. Ellie took a mental note about the bulletin board she spotted on the opposite wall.</p>
<p>
  <em>That might do the trick.</em>
</p>
<p>Joel’s fliers showed different cartoon portraits of Joel intent on playing both the piano and the guitar. Simultaneously. She was so proud of herself.</p>
<p>“I’ve heard today’s lesson will make you cry with laughter,” whispered a voice right behind her hear.</p>
<p>Ellie turned her face in confusion. She met a pair of big brown eyes and a constellation of freckles.</p>
<p>“Dina.”</p>
<p><em>Why the fuck did I say that? </em>She internally cringed.</p>
<p>Now was Dina’s turn to look confused.</p>
<p>The girl slightly opened her mouth but she didn’t have the time to formulate a remark because they’d already crossed the threshold, where Mr Preston was standing.</p>
<p>Eugene Preston was a big man. If he didn’t have that peculiar gentle light in his eyes, he would’ve struck for a rough man, with that long hair in a ponytail and his sunburnt skin.</p>
<p>“Try and don't distract my students, Dina,” he simply said to the girls, closing the doors behind them.</p>
<p>The two looked at each other, both too bewildered by Ellie’s greeting to even share a simple smile. They silently sat near each other on the second row of seats and didn’t exchange a word during the entire lesson.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Mr Preston finished his exposition complaining about the amount of chalk he had to erase from the blackboard. He spent those two hours drawing circuits wherever he could find a blank spot. It was a bit messy, but fortunately his clarifications were neat enough and easy to keep up with.</p>
<p>Ellie closed her notebook and she was sure she could feel Dina’s amused eyes on her, but when she dared to look at her, Dina was letting down her thick, black hair with a swift move.</p>
<p>Her perfume hit Ellie like a truck.</p>
<p>
  <em>I have to get out of here.</em>
</p>
<p>She used all her strength to deign Dina a slight nod in goodbye. The girl smiled and looked like she wanted to say something, but Ellie was way faster than that: in fact she was already out of the row and ready to go down the side steps. She ran into her professor, who was probably going to greet Dina since there was some kind of nepotism going on around her.</p>
<p>
  <em>There is not…</em>
</p>
<p>“Goodbye and thank you, Mr Preston.”</p>
<p>“Goodbye,” he said with his deep voice, and Ellie passed him and stormed out of the classroom.</p>
<p>
  <em>My brain is clearly damaged. I’m so stupid. So stupid.</em>
</p>
<p>She took a deep breath, trying not to go over her previous actions too much. That kind of embarrassment wasn’t allowed in her day, she decided.</p>
<p>Her eyes fell on the big pin board in front of her. She sighed and reached for the papers in her backpack.</p>
<p>She was determined to spend the next free period wandering around campus and spreading Joel’s fliers.</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <em>I wonder what her major is.</em>
</p>
<p>Ellie remembered Dina’s solid books from the day she first met her. They didn’t look like hers: she had big manuals that didn’t exceed two thousands pages, while Dina seemed to hug books as huge as a dictionary.</p>
<p>She continued squeezing her mind at the memory, not bothering to ask herself why was so important knowing Dina’s major right now. The less she knew the better, since she’d proven to be able to spoil her inexplicable interest in the other girl with just one word.</p>
<p>“Hey, you!”</p>
<p>A strong female voice startled Ellie, making her turn around with a raised eyebrow. She was being faced with a massive blonde girl who was all rough edges and grumpy attitude.</p>
<p>“Yes?”</p>
<p>“Take these,” the girl deliberately smashed a couple of fliers right onto Ellie’s gut.</p>
<p>
  <em>Ouch.</em>
</p>
<p>She flinched in pain and then she said, with a faint voice: “Ok… you take this.”</p>
<p>The girl looked down at Joel’s flier with a superior gaze, but she took it anyway.</p>
<p>“Thanks.”</p>
<p>And with that, she was gone.</p>
<p>
  <em>That was weird. And painful.</em>
</p>
<p>She stuffed the girl’s fliers into her backpack and she made her way to the Economics building, where she would hopefully find Jesse like every Tuesday morning.</p>
<p>She found him seated on the stairs outside. He was fidgeting with a half-crumpled pack of cigarettes.</p>
<p>“Yo, Jesse,” she gently kicked his leg to get his attention. “What’s up?”</p>
<p>He raised his head, giving her a pout.</p>
<p>“Oh, God… why that sulk?” She asked, sitting near him. “And why are you destroying those cigarettes?”</p>
<p>With a sigh he went on tearing part of the pack.</p>
<p>“You look like you’re kicking heroin,” she joked.</p>
<p>“I should seriously stop, you know?”</p>
<p>“Since when you’re a heroin addict?”</p>
<p>“No. I should stop smoking.” He let out the umpteenth sigh, making Ellie a little annoyed.</p>
<p>“Ok, give me that,” she literally snatched the pack from his hands.</p>
<p>Jesse remained impassive. “She doesn’t smoke.”</p>
<p>“Who?”</p>
<p>She perfectly knew who was he talking about.</p>
<p>“Dina… I was thinking about that right now.”</p>
<p>She let out a snort, bumping into him with her shoulder. “You’re so dramatic, dude, like she cares if you smoke or not.”</p>
<p>Jesse slowly turned his head to face her with a resigned look. “I would care if my soul mate was killing herself with the smoking habit,” he said solemnly.</p>
<p>
  <em>I’m so gonna punch him right now.</em>
</p>
<p>But she couldn’t. She was there in the guise of the infinitely patient best friend who surely wasn’t confused by her own reactions around her friend’s romantic interest.</p>
<p>Ellie tried to shook that intrusive thought with a shudder. “Hold your fucking horses, she still doesn’t know you will bring her some fried insect on your next date.”</p>
<p>He let out a strangled laugh. “She will <em>love</em> those maggots I’ve saved just for her.”</p>
<p>“You’re disgusting.”</p>
<p>They sat there in silence for a while, both of them comfortable in each other’s presence. Ellie took a cigarette and Jesse gave it a frustrated look before running a hand over his face.</p>
<p>“Seriously, Jesse, you need to calm down. You don’t have to change anything for her,” she told him with honesty. “And I don’t think she’s expecting that from you.”</p>
<p>Ellie didn’t really know Dina. She couldn’t even say they were acquaintances. But, somehow, she felt like she was telling something extremely close to the truth.</p>
<p>“I know, you’re right. I just have the sensation I need to do more.”</p>
<p>“More <em>what</em>? You’ve seen each other <em>once</em>. Relax,” she reminded him while lighting her cigarette.</p>
<p>“Yes, yes…” he replied, distracted by the cloud of smoke that came out of Ellie’s mouth.</p>
<p>He inhaled deeply, making Ellie burst into laughter. She passed it to him.</p>
<p>“Let’s share your <em>last</em> cig.”</p>
<hr/>
<p>The Geology library was insanely full that afternoon, but there were single seats scattered around. Ellie looked up to the mezzanine and grimaced, feeling hopeless believing to find a place there. That upper floor had something more, and no one could miss it.</p>
<p>Nonetheless she found herself climbing the stairs. It wasn’t a crime to try.</p>
<p>Her head turned immediately to her favourite spot, outrageously occupied by someone who looked like a crack dealer dived in a huge hoodie.</p>
<p>
  <em>Maybe he can save me a piece of desk…?  </em>
</p>
<p>He was most probably studying the composition of all the drugs in the world since he was surrounded by tons of books and notes.</p>
<p>The floor creaked under her feet while she approached the guy from behind, asking herself if that studying spot was really worth it.</p>
<p>At the sound, he gripped the back of the chair to turn around.</p>
<p>
  <em>His hands are rather feminine.</em>
</p>
<p>“Hi, it’s you,” said a startled Dina.</p>
<p>“Oh…” <em>Fuck.</em> “Hi.”</p>
<p>A tiny smile made its way through Dina’s features, before dropping by the time she returned looking at the mess in front of her. “I’m sorry, I’ll move these on.”</p>
<p>The hoodie she was wearing was so oversized that as soon as she rose to tidy up her things, the sleeves completely swallowed her hands.</p>
<p>“Why the hood? I kinda thought you were a junkie.”</p>
<p>“Oh, no… I’m in disguise.” She looked Ellie up and down with mirth. “See… there’s someone stalking me on campus.”</p>
<p>“A-ha, fuck you,” she muttered, sulking just a bit.</p>
<p>Dina couldn’t hold the laugh that bubbled throughout her mouth without warning, and Ellie couldn’t help but smile at the strange sound.</p>
<p>“I’m just trying to hide these,” Dina pointed at her shiny white AirPods.</p>
<p>“And why is that?”</p>
<p>“Because I feel stupid every time I wear them.”</p>
<p>Ellie faked a studious look at Dina’s face while taking out her book. She nodded: “Yes, I can totally see that.”</p>
<p>“Aren’t you a charmer...”</p>
<p>Ellie shook her head smiling and opened her book. Electronics was awaiting her since she’d completed Mrs Adler’s Physics task: she didn’t even need the help she was intended on asking to Dina.</p>
<p>
  <em>I’m not a cheater.</em>
</p>
<p>She was not. But also, she didn’t need it like an excuse to talk to the girl anymore. Dina basically looked for her that morning.</p>
<p>And that was something she pretended not to notice.</p>
<hr/>
<p>It was 3 pm when Ellie decided to take a break. She’d already stretched her study hall because she was unconsciously trying to impress Dina with some remarkable and lasting concentration show, but the truth was that she had been daydreaming for the last twenty minutes about nothing in particular, even if she was sure that <em>nothing</em> didn’t include Electronics at all.</p>
<p>So she finally closed her book and fished Jesse’s cigarettes from her backpack before abruptly stood up.</p>
<p>“Where are you going?”</p>
<p>The accusatory slip that Dina's tone had reminded her about Jesse's words. Maybe she was one of those who liked to put their mouths on other’s people life. Maybe she was born with the urgent need to judge.</p>
<p>
  <em>Maybe she thinks I haven’t been staring at the books for enough time.</em>
</p>
<p>“To take a couple of drags…”</p>
<p>
  <em>Go on, judge me, Dina Caplan.</em>
</p>
<p>“Can I join you?”</p>
<p>Ellie blinked a couple of times, stunned, before saying: “Sure. Wanna watch?”</p>
<p>“That’s my kink,” she joked. “No, actually I’d like one.”</p>
<p>
  <em>Interesting. So Jesse’s an idiot. Figures.</em>
</p>
<p>“Help yourself.” Ellie handed the embarrassingly wringed pack to the girl, who enthusiastically picked a cigarette. They made their way outside in silence, Dina was right behind Ellie. She couldn’t believe that Jesse was that naive to rack his brain on something that basically didn’t exist. How the hell did they show each other? Ellie knew Jesse’s character with girls: he was charming, mellifluous, maybe a little too talkative but amusing – if you were very keen on listening. He surely didn’t present himself as the nerd she knew. And thanks to that character, he’d probably found the <em>appropriate</em> key for a girl’s heart. Or at least, for the first gate of a girl’s heart.</p>
<p>Something that Ellie couldn’t understand, even after Jesse’s rants and her own personal experience, was Dina’s character.</p>
<p>
  <em>I wonder what my character looks like.</em>
</p>
<p>She theatrically held the glass door open for Dina, and once they were in the open air, Ellie took her lighter and offered it to the other girl. “I’m Ellie, by the way.”</p>
<p>Dina smiled widely. “We’re finally even,” she mumbled while lighting the cigarette behind her cupped hand.</p>
<p>“Yeah…” Ellie shifted on her feet. “Listen, I wasn’t stalking you…”</p>
<p>Dina hummed, puffing the smoke right above Ellie’s head. She had a little too amused attitude for Ellie’s taste.</p>
<p>“It’s true. We actually have a… <em>person</em> in common.”</p>
<p>“Oh. And who’d it be?”</p>
<p>“Jesse.” When Dina didn’t say anything and just looked intently at her bringing the cigarette again between her lips, she added: “The Asian guy. You went on a date with him.”</p>
<p>“I got it, <em>thanks</em>,” she playfully rolled her eyes, “I was just trying to figure out the relationship between-”</p>
<p>“Oh, no. We’re not related,” Ellie interrupted her with a shit-eating grin plastered on her face.</p>
<p>Dina tilted her head and suppressed a smile biting her lower lip. “Are you dumb?”</p>
<p>“Most probably.”</p>
<p>“Given this… you must be Jesse’s best friend.”</p>
<p>“Did he talk about me?” she asked, not surprised at all. He surely had used her as an example of recklessness so he could rise himself up and maybe strike as <em>un homme sérieux</em>.</p>
<p>Dina shrugged and took a drag from her cigarette. “He mentioned you once or twice.”</p>
<p>“I’d say once or twice too many. I’m sorry about that.”</p>
<p>They shared a smile and finished their smoking pause. Ellie thought that Dina’s easy-going attitude made her the best candidate to become her future friend. She smiled at herself thinking that she had maybe found someone to talk to outside of Jesse.</p>
<p>Not that she wasn’t talking to anybody. But those cold chats about the university weren’t her cup of tea. At least, they weren’t the cup of tea she was looking for.</p>
<p>They went back to their studying duties. Ellie’s morning embarrassment completely shattered and she felt rather comfortable being near Dina.</p>
<p>It helped the fact that the girl was still hiding her AirPods with a giant hood.</p>
<p>“Dina?”</p>
<p>Ellie raised her head and saw a woman dressed in tweed, with a librarian label pinched to her blazer. She was a constant presence behind the glass window that stood right in front of the <em>library reception desk.</em></p>
<p>“You can come, follow me,” said the librarian with a quiet voice.</p>
<p>Dina whispered back a ‘yes’ and closed her book.</p>
<p>
  <em>Oh, well… she even knows her now. </em>
</p>
<p>She stood up, freeing her head from the hood and asking Ellie: “Could you have an eye on my things? I won’t take long.”</p>
<p>“Sure.”</p>
<hr/>
<p>Dina mysteriously disappeared after she came back to the desk to recollect her things. She thanked Ellie and excused herself before storming out of the library.</p>
<p>
  <em>She probably has to finally go to a class of her damn faculty.</em>
</p>
<p>In that short period of time Dina was away with the librarian, Ellie snooped around like the stalker Dina was so right to associate her to.</p>
<p>She concluded that Dina was a Literature student or something related.</p>
<p>
  <em>Assuming she’s not studying those books just for fun… as she does with Electronics.</em>
</p>
<p>Ellie lingered for a second on how cute felt their stupid bickering and the way it made the embarrassment from the morning disappear in thin air. She smiled, ensuring to repeat to herself that she was not going to have a crush on Jesse’s date.</p>
<p>
  <em>I just want us to be friends.</em>
</p>
<p>But why didn’t she tell Jesse that she knew who Dina was? Why didn’t she text him as soon as she discovered it? That was what best friends were supposed to do, didn’t they?</p>
<p>She squinted her mind around the hesitancy she had about that topic. When she decided to call it a day, she was still asking herself if she was acting fairly with Jesse and let the thought plague her mind during her way to the parking lot.</p>
<p>She momentarily distracted herself passing by the spots where she’d put the fliers to see if someone took them – hopefully – home. When she couldn’t see one of them her mind drifted to the big girl that basically punched her in the guts to hand her the fliers she was spreading. Could have been possible that she was making a clean sweep for her owns?</p>
<p>
  <em>This is stupid…</em>
</p>
<p>Out of curiosity, she reached for the paper in her bag to see what was that about.</p>
<p>
  <em>‘Volleyball Team Force’. Definitely nothing that can be shadowed by music lessons.</em>
</p>
<p>Ellie retuned home happy to have accomplished all her tasks: she completed her Physics essay, she hanged all Joel’s fliers and she discovered Dina’s major. Now she could spend the rest of the day relaxing and thinking about anything else. She needed to stop thinking, literally.</p>
<p>“I don’t know what you drew on those papers but I’ve already had a couple of calls about them.” Joel was sitting on the bench on their porch, strumming a classic guitar. “Good job, kiddo.”</p>
<p>“I’m a natural talent.”</p>
<p>“Wish I could have seen them.”</p>
<p>“They will probably bring the fliers back,” she said shrugging. “I added this ‘let’s not waste paper’ on them. I’ve even drawn you with a log on your shoulders.”</p>
<p>“Oh, God…”</p>
<p>“They’re fucking adorable.”</p>
<p>“I bet. Well, thank you, I guess.”</p>
<p>“You’re welcome,” she smiled proudly. “When do you start?”</p>
<p>“Next week, one on Wednesday and one on Friday,”</p>
<p>“I’ll try not to be in your way.”</p>
<p>“Yes, please. I don’t want you to scare ‘em away,” Joel said with a mischievous smirk.</p>
<p>“Fuck you, man,” she muttered opening the front door. “I’m having a shower and I’ll come helping you with dinner. How’s your side?”</p>
<p>Joel slowly stood up from the bench. Ellie watched him biting the inside of her cheek: she’d learned not to assist him too much, but holding herself was always an effort.</p>
<p>“All right,” he groaned.</p>
<p>She rolled her eyes and closed the door behind him. “I’ll be quick,” she blurted and then ran upstairs while slipping away from her jacket and backpack in one movement. She tossed her phone and keys on her desk and turned on the lights. Her room wasn’t a total mess, but she surely had to throw something away.</p>
<p>She looked at her journal. It was lying on a corner of the desk since summer and it was stuffed with polaroid pictures taken with Jesse during their camping.</p>
<p>
  <em>I should write these two months down.</em>
</p>
<p>Ellie picked the photos and smiled. She almost choked when she found the one of Jesse in the woods.</p>
<p>
  <em>“Come on Ellie, jump in.”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“In that puddle? No, thanks.”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“You play all badass but in the end you’re just a poser.”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Oh, yeah, a poser that doesn’t want to risk being sucked alive by the leeches.”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“As if there were leeches outside of nineties movies.”</em>
</p>
<p>Spoiler alert: there were indeed. And they were all glued to his legs.</p>
<p>He was clearly screaming when Ellie took the picture.</p>
<p>A metallic noise by her window woke her from the memories. “What the fuck…” she muttered approaching the window. “Oh, man…”</p>
<p>On the other slope of the side driveway she could see Jesse standing in front of his window with a paper written with a thick marker.</p>
<p>‘I HAVE LUNCH WITH DINA TOMORROW’</p>
<p>She sighed, exasperated. She knew she had to reach for a paper and a pen. Shouting at him wasn’t the solution.</p>
<p>‘DO I CARE?’</p>
<p>He knitted his eyebrows.</p>
<p>‘OF COURSE YOU DO’</p>
<p>“Why are you like this?” she grumbled, turning the sheet and using her right thigh to support her writing.</p>
<p>‘CAN WE STOP WITH THIS TAYLOR SWIFT THING?’</p>
<p>He had to squint his eyes in order to figure out that last message and it took him a second too much for Ellie’s patience.</p>
<p>‘NO’</p>
<p>Ellie huffed and closed the curtains. She took a deep breath.</p>
<p>She started the friendship project with the only person who was going to be busy from now on. <em>Busy</em> with her best friend.</p>
<p>It was then that her eyes landed on the Volleyball Team Force announce.</p>
<p>She needed to find new candidates.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thank you so much for the kudos and the comments on the previous chapter, I really appreciated hearing your thoughts about the story. <br/>I hope you enjoyed this chapter, let me know what you guys think.<br/>See you.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. The Librarian</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Ellie tries to make new acquaintances with all her might.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Joel's tall figure was leaning on the jamb of the kitchen's French window, eyes focused on the storm outside. It had been raining like crazy for days, something that could make Joel grumpier than he already was. The fact that he had started feeling comfortable going out for a morning walk <em>just </em>since the beginning of that week was clearly sailing way against his mood.</p><p>"Damn weather," he hissed, his eyes two slits pointing to the leaden sky.</p><p>Ellie couldn’t help but raise her eyebrows in mock stupor. "Yeah, cursing the weather is gonna do nothing if not annoying me while I'm studying."</p><p>Joel span on his heels and rounded about the table where Ellie settled down with her notes and laptop. "You have your own room, you know."</p><p>"It's a mess right now," she dismissed him with a wave of her hand.</p><p>"That's not a valid excuse."</p><p>"Works fine with me."</p><p>Joel refrained from commenting further by shaking his head. The frantic roar of the storm returned the only sound in the kitchen, something that Ellie usually would find soothing if she wasn’t aware of her imminent future, because that Wednesday was the very day she decided to go and apply for that volleyball team she was intent on making her intermittent afternoon commitment.</p><p>It wasn’t characteristically Ellie to go and present herself for something like that. Maybe younger Ellie was more keen on doing something similar. She was determined, loud… ready to be noticed. Thinking about her past self never failed to leave her incredulous. She consciously knew that growing up meant being less impulsive, but she hoped that at least one percent of that impulsiveness could’ve evolved in a socially recyclable skill.</p><p>"Joel, I was thinking..." she started only to be interrupted by a very childish – but also very predictable – surprised exclamation from Joel’s spatial coordinates. “Joel.”</p><p>The ammunition made him scoff and quit with the daddy jokes before he could even start. And Ellie knew how far he could go with those, the thought alone gave her the chills. “Sorry, kiddo,” he apologised, gently bowing his head and silently asking her to continue.</p><p>Ellie took a big breath. “Maybe I could join a sport's team?”</p><p>There was a second or two in which Joel looked like he was about to say something before changing his mind and just tilting his head to the side. “You know you can do whatever you want, right? Apart from drugs,” he clarified.</p><p>“I know, but I really wasn't looking for permission,” she murmured. “More like <em>support</em>, I guess.”</p><p>“I support you. Is it a basketball team?"</p><p>"No, volleyball. They train at the Parish's gym."</p><p>"All right." He pulled out a chair of the kitchen table and he carefully sat in front of Ellie.  "So... is it still because that Jesse's stuff?"</p><p>
  <em>You mean Jesse kinda dating the most interesting girl in town? Nah.</em>
</p><p>"I could use some sport, I'm starting to sag a little," she said with a shrug. It wasn’t entirely a lie, she felt like she needed to put on some weight, if that had to be fat or muscle she wasn’t fully aware.</p><p>"Dunno what you're talking about, kiddo, you skin and bones." And it turned out that even Joel had noticed it.</p><p><em>I must be very attractive then. </em>“A real life fashion model…”</p><p>Joel nodded pensive and leaned forward to put his elbows steadily on the wooden table. "Remember that time we were watching that documentary about models eating paper tissue to stay skinny?" He said, examining one of Ellie’s notes.</p><p>"Joel!” She ripped the note out of his hands making him burst into laughter. “I'm not eating papers, goddammit."</p><p>"If you were at least you were eating something!" At Joel’s statement she let out a loud groan. "I'm sorry, but I remember you saying that it was stupid not to eat and now look at you"</p><p>"I'm eating..." she babbled. "A little. I'm nervous with this college experience that I'm living, I'm sure it'll pass soon"</p><p>Joel hummed. "If you ever need to talk..."</p><p>"I know, thanks."</p><p>"Ok," he said pinning his hands on the table and rising himself. "Now go away,” he groaned, more for the pain than anything else. “I’m gonna set the table for lunch."</p><p>Ellie raised an eyebrow. "Why though? Don't you like this paper feast I've prepared for you?"</p>
<hr/><p>"You must compile it."</p><p>Ellie looked down to the paper that the girl handed her. Her name was Abigail and she was older, bigger and even grumpier than she thought after their first encounter.</p><p>
  <em>She definitely didn’t eat papers to gain those guns.</em>
</p><p>Abigail inexplicably looked like she already knew she didn’t like Ellie’s presence in her surroundings, imagine if she gave a fuck to make her join her team.</p><p>"Ok," breathed Ellie. To her surprise, the paper was an anamnestic questionnaire. “Are you a doctor?”</p><p>“My father is,” she offered as explanation.</p><p>
  <em>Clearly something that runs through people’s veins.</em>
</p><p>“How are you sure I’m not lying on every question?” Ellie couldn’t help but be curious about the purpose of that test when she wasn’t sure it was something useful at all, even when done in a doctor’s office. </p><p>“I’m not and I don’t care. You could be a drunk homeless for what concerns me. If you show me you can handle a volleyball, you’re in. However, just lie if you are a drunk homeless, thank you.”</p><p>
  <em>Fussy… </em>
</p><p>"It's fifty dollars monthly," continued Abigail while offering her a cartel. She took Ellie’s questionnaire and staked it up a ridiculously small pile of papers.</p><p>Ellie made a face that Abigail mistook as concerned for the monthly price.</p><p>"If it's too much for-"</p><p>"No, I actually think it’s too little", she hurried to say, looking to her surroundings. The gym wasn’t the professional set they had in high school: the rubber floor was full of holes and bubbles – it looked like the first screen film Ellie applied on her phone without any criteria –, the walls were stained and the wooden bleachers running along the long side of the room seemed a century old. Maybe Abigail wasn’t asking much but she was probably asking the exact amount of money that place was worth of.</p><p>"Well, it's enough to hire this ramshackle gym and the equipment. In a couple of months we could buy some uniforms, so maybe save some extra money if you’re going to stick around."</p><p>"That's some serious stuff…"</p><p>"It's written in those papers how serious it is."</p><p><em>Why am I still thinking about eating papers and not about </em>reading<em> papers?</em></p><p>Inside of that consumed cartel there were newspapers clippings, fliers and some faded tourist’s maps all scribbled and striped by constant folding. Ellie felt catapulted in some creepy Netflix series about stalkers.</p><p>"Santa Barbara?" She asked out of curiosity. She didn’t remember reading about a trip in the little manifest Abigail gave her the week before. But it was also true that she didn’t spend much time reading anything in a font smaller than the title.</p><p>"Yes. But that's just the final goal-"</p><p>"Weren't we talking about volleyball?" The stupid joke fell from her lips without warning, despite the fact she was talking to someone who didn’t give off sympathy vibes. <em>I’m just like Joel.</em> "Sorry. Go on."</p><p>Abigail just gave a great sigh without going further the Santa Barbara matter and she changed topic. "You can come this Friday at five-thirty. For a trial with the girls."</p><p>"I don't have much familiarity with this sport-"</p><p>"Doesn't matter. What did you play in high school?"</p><p>"Basket…” murmured Ellie.</p><p>"That would do."</p><p>And that was it for Abigail. She turned around and stuffed everything in her backpack, then she asked Ellie if she had an umbrella for her way home or if she needed a ride. It was obvious that the offer came out of Abigail’s mouth despite of herself. Maybe she was very well educated but at the same time she didn’t stand Ellie’s company. Unfortunately for Abigail, her education was way stronger than her repulsion towards people.</p><p>Once declined the invitation, Ellie said her goodbyes and went straight out of the gym and into the main hall of the parish which looked like it was hosting some sort of reunion, maybe one of its afternoon activities. She hoped to pass unnoticed.</p><p>“Ellie!”</p><p>She widen her eyes and stopped her stealthy steps right in the middle of the room, gaining a couple of looks from the group of ghost whisperers in front of her, who became highly uninterested when they didn’t recognize her as someone of their entourage. But her name came from behind, and in the pitch of a familiar voice.</p><p>“Hey, Bonnie, hi.”</p><p>Ellie wasn’t surprised to meet Bonnie there. She was an active element in the parish, as well as the one and only Film Club director who screened <em>Mulholland Drive </em><em>on the back of the church. Needless to say, the parish priest showed up to see if everything was fine right in the middle of the… </em><em>Sapphic embrace</em><em>, as he later called it.</em></p><p>
  <em>Her hair was a lighter shade of blonde. “The pixie cut suits you.”</em>
</p><p><em>Bonnie’s pale cheeks gained a faint brush of colour. “Thank you,” she smiled touching a lock of hair at the nape of her head. </em>“What brings you here?”</p><p>“I was thinking to join the volleyball team.”</p><p>“I’ve heard of it, sounds exciting.”</p><p>“They’re looking for girls who might wanna join, so if you’re interested…” she left it at that, causing Bonnie to strangle a laugh.</p><p>“Don’t you remember how much of a klutz I was in high school?”</p><p>“You were fine.” <em>She was terrible.</em></p><p>“And you are a liar,” Bonnie laughed loudly at the statement. She was very keen on making fun of her sport skills since high school and Ellie found it nice of her being so far from uncompromising. “You should ask Cat, you know? She’s definitely too much free time to come here and be the biggest pain in the <em>arse</em> ever experienced.”</p><p>Bonnie probably didn’t know how Cat and Ellie left it a couple of months ago.</p><p>“I’ll text her then,” she lied.</p><p>“No need, she’s here.” <em>Oh, great…</em> A bothered look haunted Bonnie’s face for a fraction of second. “She wants to bring back The Pubrish,” she said solemnly, but clearly drawing in pain. And Ellie couldn’t blame her about it.</p><p>The Pubrish was a youth initiative that started when Ellie and Jesse where halfway through high school. Cat became a main exponent of the collective, so they began spending a Friday night a month at the parish among young adults folks with neither skills or talents fetching drinks for other young Jackson’s folks caught in the clutches of The Pubrish by the signboard ‘Free Offer’.</p><p>The charitable Christianity of that group of wannabe bartenders was never repaid enough, and in a year and a half the parish priest was forced to cancel the event and deprive Cat and her friends of the fund for the children's initiatives.</p><p>From that moment the Church said ‘welcome back’ to the after-school activities for children and ‘goodbye’ to the initiation rite for alcoholism that was The Pubrish.</p><p>And Ellie couldn’t say she was against that final epilogue. “Her venomous cocktails still give me nightmares,” she commented.</p><p>“I bet, but she’s very determined.”</p><p>She was about to concernedly ask ‘how determined?’ when a hand gently posed between her shoulder blades.</p><p>“Ellie Williams in a place of worship.” Cat’s hand drew a cross on Ellie’s back that could have been dangerously long if she hadn’t turned around as promptly as she did.</p><p>“Weird, isn’t it?” She said, awfully hiding her nervous tone. Their past relationship faded into an awkward silence just before the end of the summer. A similar consequence implied a rather fragile connection between the two and, overlooking the fun and the new experiences they shared, it sentimentally bordered the blandness .</p><p>She surely looked good with her hair longer and that neat bangs, though. And, most importantly, she didn’t look pissed to see Ellie.</p><p>“You cannot miss The Pubrish this Friday night,” said Cat with same tone she once used to say ‘you cannot prefer playing videogames instead than coming here’. In her defence it was a cold winter evening and she couldn’t spend the night at Cat’s  because she usually didn’t <em>want</em> to. She craved her bed at night and she was sure the girl would have found an excuse to make her stay.</p><p>“Do I have a say about it?”</p><p>Cat playfully winked at her and said: “Actually no.”</p><p>Hopefully it would’ve been the first and last Pubrish of the year.</p><p>“Cat, Ellie has an offer for you,” announced Bonnie placing her hand on Ellie’s shoulder, giving it a light squeeze.</p><p>Cat raised both her eyebrows. “Hasn’t she?”</p><p>“Yeah…”</p>
<hr/><p>Wednesday afternoon was Joel’s first private lesson of the week and Ellie could feel it in the air. Their living room has never looked more polished. Every surface was simply shining. But, anyway, Joel didn’t look nervous at all: he was sitting on the couch with his beloved mug of coffee enveloped by his hands. He probably just wanted to strike as the serious, sever, precise teacher Ellie knew he was.</p><p>She wished him good luck and she prepared to vanish in thin air while he was busy working. And by <em>thin air</em> she obviously meant her inevitable daily stage: the Geology library. She wouldn’t probably enjoy a beautiful sunset due to that awful weather, but even heavy rain looked better from the mezzanine.</p><p>That time she made sure she didn’t forget her journal.</p><p>Her relationship with writing naturally blossomed alongside her first tangible contact with music, thanks to Joel. For an entire year they couldn’t find a meeting point, in part due to Ellie’s bursting rebellious adolescence stage, but also because Joel’s past made him shield against whatever predisposition to parenting he thought he had before outliving his daughter, Sarah. He didn’t expect Tess to leave him in charge of the fourteen years old Ellie, whom the woman was already tutoring.</p><p>Ellie’s early life had been marked by death, year after year, and she developed a passive-aggressive attitude full of annoying traits. She was also pretty sane for what she came through, but nevertheless she was insufferable for Joel, who, in his middle age, never had thought he would become a father all over again.</p><p>Even if it was strange to believe that he stopped being a father after the ominous accident that took his daughter away from him, Joel surely convinced himself that he wasn’t a father anymore, that he’d lost his right to be a father.</p><p>Only time made him realize that he never stopped being one.</p><p>Time and <em>Ellie</em>, who was now again inside that library, hoping to find her spot available.</p><p>She was stepping out the stairs when someone called for her a little too loudly to be doing it in a library: "Hey, Ellie!”</p><p>She wasn’t the only one startled by the sudden greeting, but she definitely was the only one surprised to see the source of it.</p><p>
  <em>Dina.</em>
</p><p>"How is that you're everywhere?" She asked jokingly once she approached the librarian’s desk. <em>Jokingly</em> but also seriously: why the hell was this girl basically everywhere she went?</p><p>
  <em>And why is she behind the reception counter.</em>
</p><p>Dina just shrugged, hiding a smile by looking at her feet. “Maybe I’m simply on your mind.”</p><p>
  <em>What?</em>
</p><p>But Ellie couldn’t let herself be perplexed by the statement, she had to play along. Like a normal person.</p><p>"Yeah <em>constantly</em> on my mind since your mother's class is kicking me right in the ass-" The bun of the librarian peeked into Ellie’s field of view so that she hurried up to censor her previous statement: "- <em>ssignments</em>.”</p><p>The librarian looked between them with a raised eyebrow but didn’t say a word. She spun on her heels and the two girls followed her with their eyes until she was out of sight, disappeared behind the shelves of books.</p><p>“I cannot imagine it doing anything different from that. Good luck," finally said Dina.</p><p>Ellie simply nodded and turned to see if her spot near the parapet was free. It wasn’t, obviously, and by standing there staring at Dina she didn’t help her cause. “Well, I’ll leave you to it,” she gestured at Dina’s whatever-she-was-doing-there. She had to find a desk.</p><p>Dina raised her head from the thick cartel she was consulting. Her eyes went straight up and over Ellie’s shoulder. Her interest in what was behind Ellie’s back nearly made her want to turn and see what the hell she was looking at.</p><p>“Do you- do you want to get inside? I'm like the boss for a couple of hours so if you want to… have the best view, you are a welcomed guest.”</p><p>It was raining. The view was just a gigantic grey screen, and either she was a melancholy fan of late, cloudy autumn days, or she was trying to deceive Ellie for some reason.</p><p>“It’s warmer, even,” added Dina, with a hint of hope in her tone.</p><p>
  <em>She’s trying really hard.</em>
</p><p>In any case, Ellie wasn’t one to decline such a kind invitation. “You definitely know how to treat a girl.”</p><p>For a second, Dina looked relieved before turning back to her cocky grin and mischievous eyes. “And did you realise that just now?” Her tone sounded like she was joking – <em>yes</em> – but also flirting and Ellie wondered if her mind was just tricking her into thinking something impossible like that.</p><p>Sitting on the counter with her books out made Ellie fly back to those lazy mornings after her accident with sodium hydroxide. She was forced away from school for an entire week. Joel never believed it for a second, he still rather thought she caused the burn on her right forearm by herself. And since he wasn’t one to be fooled, he decided to drag her to his music store every day so he was sure she didn’t do anything stupid home alone.</p><p>Lost in her thought Ellie didn’t realized she was doodling Dina’s profile on a brand new page of her journal.</p><p>“So,” started Ellie literally slamming her journal closed. “You work here.”</p><p>“You're way sharper than you seem,” observed Dina, never leaving the focus on her recent occupation. It looked like she was listing a bunch of volumes people continuously laid in front of her. It was endearing how she never missed to smile to anyone.</p><p>“Don't you have lessons to attend?” The question came out naturally from Ellie’s lips. It was something Ellie asked herself a couple of times since she had seen Dina attending Electronics, then studying Literature and now working in the Geology library.</p><p>“Actually no.” <em>Oh.</em> “I'm already graduated.”</p><p>Dina said those words with the same tone people answer when they’re asked about the time. And now Ellie was even more curious about Dina’s life, if it was possible.</p><p>But it wasn’t time and place to start a conversation that would have been more fitting if done while hanging out or whatever, clearly not during a work shift. So Ellie thought it best to shut herself and leave Dina to her job while she tried to concentrate on her notes.</p><p>Trivially, due to her prominent sentiment of awe, Ellie secretly resumed the drawing on her diary.</p>
<hr/><p>Ellie didn’t exactly know what she expected from her meeting with Abigail. Nothing from their previous encounter that week gave away that the girl was a friendly person. If she was completely honest, Abigail didn’t seem at all interested in making friends.</p><p>Entering the gym, Ellie found her hissing inaudible words to a guy who had his chest repeatedly pointed by Abigail’s pointing finger.</p><p>The all scene looked like something private, there was some serious stuff going on between the two and when he grabbed her wrist to stop Abigail from piercing his jumper Ellie wished she had a bowl of popcorn.</p><p>Silence fell among the rambling walls surrounding them. The level of tension was insufferable, even being the audience. Abigail and the guy were going to punch each other. <em>Or kiss each other.</em></p><p>But no one would ever know it because Ellie’s not so careful steps up the scraped, creaking, wooden bleachers were loud enough to awake the shrunken bones of Padre Murphy.</p><p>The two jumped a step backwards, and the new distance between them made their previous closeness standing out.</p><p>“H-hi,” she stammered, waving stupidly with an apologetic smile on her face. “I’m sorry, I didn’t want to interrupt you.”</p><p>“Don’t worry, he was leaving just now,” said Abigail giving the guy a stern look, her chin up. “Goodbye, Owen.”</p><p>He was being clearly kicked out but nevertheless he remained composed and nodded. “I’ll talk to you later.”</p><p>The two girls watched him go away from the emergency exit with an incredibly fast pace for someone who wasn’t running. Ellie jumped from the bleachers, her landing resounding loudly.</p><p>“Ellie,” greeted Abigail, unfolding her arms and relaxing a bit. Just a bit, because she still looked like someone with an intense back pain.</p><p>“Abigail.”</p><p>“Call me Abby,” she said sternly. “The other girls will be here every moment now, help me with the net?”</p><p>Ellie approached the skein of ropes on the other side of the court. She followed Abby’s instruction diligently and for once she didn’t receive any annoyed glance from the girl.</p><p>“I’ve maybe interested another girl with your project, I hope it’s ok,” began Ellie once they were satisfied with the net.</p><p>“The more the merrier, is she coming?” simply asked Abby while she cupped her hand inside a shopper in order to dig up an immaculate volleyball.</p><p>“She’ll probably come and say hi, she’s here setting up The Pubrish.”</p><p>Abby’s perplexed expression was the usual reaction people’s had when they heard about this fucking event. And they were so damn right to feel that way. “The what?”</p><p>“The Pubrish. It’s a pub in the parish. Cheap and shoddy. You should pop into it tonight.”</p><p>“Sounds terrific.”</p><p>“I know you wanted to say terrifying,” she replied and she could swear she’d seen the hint of a smirk on Abby’s face.</p><p>The other girls who applied to Abby’s call came scattered during the evening. It was clear on her face that Abby wasn’t happy with the series of delays, but she shrugged it off herself saying that they were just going to do a couple of physical exercise and then decide together the days they found more suitable for the training.</p><p>There was this one who looked like a malnourished little boy that seemed to give Abby a really hard time: they interacted in very short, arid phrases that never missed to taint the air with a hint of sour.</p><p>When the girl asked Abby if it would have been just the six of them – with a wave of judgment –, she answered: “Yes, Mel, and you don’t have to worry about it.”</p><p>Mel didn’t say anything but it was clear as water that sooner or later she would have brought out the argument again.</p><p>Every now and then, Cat didn’t miss to remind the group that she was hosting this huge event for charity purpose – that was a lie – and that they were all invited together with whoever wasn’t young enough to be traumatized by very drunk people.</p><p>“If you’re going, please don’t take Lev with you,” said Abby to Yara, the tiniest girl of the group who happened to have a killer bump – once or twice Ellie was concerned her elbows would twist inwards.</p><p>For their training they all agreed in a two days a week commitment, on Wednesday and Friday, fortunately for Ellie’s need to leave Joel’s his time and space while having lesson. The goodbyes weren’t as awkward as their introductions, and they were probably going to meet later that night anyway. Leaving the gym they left behind Abby and Nora, who was probably an old friend of Abby.</p><p>Cat didn’t miss the chance to flirt a little with Ellie and purring that she couldn’t wait to hang together again that night at The Pubrish and maybe talk a little. It was so far from what Ellie had in mind for her night – maybe because the feeling of repulsion towards a night out was starting to creep inside of her soul.</p><p>Ellie didn’t remember the last time she felt the exhaustion due to a physical activity and she was craving an hot steamy shower. The rain spared the weekend, but the air was crispy and humid and she could feel her bones shiver every step she took down the streets.</p><p>On her way she couldn’t help but think how strange was of Cat to act like it was ok to flirt with each other. It wasn’t.</p><p>
  <em>Shouldn’t exes ignore each other?</em>
</p><p>She felt slightly bad thinking something like that. But she had a presentiment that didn’t help her cause in any way. She wanted to scream, too many girls were making her flustered in too little time, lately.</p><p>“I’m homo!” She shouted once home in order to relieve at least a ten per cent of the social stress she was already experiencing. Maybe she shouldn’t have forced herself into finding new acquaintances. She was doing just fine alone. </p><p>She thought about skipping The Pubrish that night while closing the door with her forehead pressed on it.</p><p>“Kiddo, are you ok?” Came Joel’s concerned voice from the living room. She turned and sighed walking towards the kitchen, her arms halfway out of her jacket.</p><p>“Yes. I just want to scream to my very recent past self and let her know that she’s stupid as fu-“</p><p>Her pitiful stream of consciousness was abruptly cut of as soon as she stepped into the living room were Joel was standing near the piano stool that was busy lodging one of the reasons she wanted so ardently to scream.</p><p>They both confusedly looked at each other, Dina’s hand fell on the keys of the piano making a low sound.</p><p>
  <em>How is that she’s everywhere?</em>
</p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I'm just very devastated by The Haunting, that's all.</p><p>Hope you liked the chapter.<br/>Until next time.</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thank you if you’re reading these last notes after actually reading the chapter and not only after scrolling down out of boredom. Thank you for giving it a chance.</p>
<p>Feel free to leave a comment if you want.<br/>Goodbye.</p></blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>